The present invention relates to an apparatus for reinforcing sections of coil wire by forming lengths of the wire into loops and then twisting the loops together.
In the manufacture of electric coils, where wire is wrapped around a core on automatic coil winding machines, it sometimes occurs that, where very fine wire is being employed, the wire breaks and fouls the elements of the coil winding machine. Accordingly, it is desirable to reinforce certain lengths of wire before it is fed to the automatic coil winding machine to minimize the occurrence of such stoppages. Also, certain lengths of the wire should be reinforced where they will be subjected to tension when placed in use, such as the connecting leads to the electric coil.
In a known arrangement for reinforcing such wires, hooks have been employed which are moved into the path of the wire and then rotated in and out of the plane or path of the wire to form the loop. With such an arrangement, the wire is subjected to tension when the hooks first move into the path of the wire to grip the wire and then during the formation of each loop when the hooks are rotated across the path of the wire. Thus, upon each movement of the hooks, the wire is seized again and accelerated which movements, in the case of very thin winding wires, creates strain on the wire which can lead to frequent breaks or undesirable drawing of the wire.
The present invention has for its object the provision of an apparatus for reinforcing a desired section of wire which employs wire transporting means that remains engaged with the wire throughout the period during which the reinforcing process is being effected. Also, the apparatus of the present invention will be capable of handling even very fine wire so that the occurrence of breaks will be minimized, if not eliminated.
In a preferred embodiment, the apparatus of the present invention provides a wire transport means in the form of an eye or ring member which is guided around a closed path which encompasses a pair of guide means or posts of special construction which support the loops formed by the ring member during its travel. With such an arrangement, the wire transport means remains constantly in engagement with the wire and, therefore, may execute a continuous movement in the formation of a wire loops. According to one feature of the present invention, means are provided for disengaging the ring member of the wire transport means from contact with the wire where reinforcement of the lengths of wire passing through the apparatus is not required.
According to another feature of the present invention, the loop forming path of travel of the wire transport means is arranged such that the wire loops are formed without imparting any twist to the wire which could undesirably reduce the tensile strength of the wire.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, means are provided for forming loops of different lengths, as desired, without interfering with the loop forming apparatus for the subsequent twisting operation. Also, the twisting means of the present invention are adjustable relative to the formed loops so that the twist may be inserted at approximately the midpoint of the loops and self-compensating means are provided for centering the twisting means whenever a different loop length is being employed.
The foregoing and other advantages of the present invention will become more apparent as consideration is given to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings, in which: